Scientists call for a more serious approach in diagnosing PTSD in cancer patients

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not exclusive to war veterans nor does it affect select groups as a new study suggests. A Malaysian research paper has found that approximately one-fifth of patients with cancer experienced PTSD several months after they were diagnosed. More so, the disorder continued to affect these people years later.

The affliction is known to develop in individuals who were subjected to a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, witnessing death or being sexually assaulted among others.However, the disorder can also develop in cancer patients. The paper, which was published in the journal of the American Cancer Society, suggests that many patients feel like their emotional issues are a weakness after being diagnosed with cancer.

“Many cancer patients believe they need to adopt a ‘warrior mentality’, and remain positive and optimistic from diagnosis through treatment to stand a better chance of beating cancer.” Said Dr. Caryn Mei Hsien Chan, the study’s lead author.

The research team tested 469 patients with various types of cancer. These patients were tested for PTSD after six months and then again after four years they’d been diagnosed. After six months, 21 percent of the patients had PTSD dropping to 6 percent after four years.

Patients with breast cancer were 3.7 times less likely to develop PTSD after six months. This is due to dedicated programs that provide support and counseling to breast cancer patients within the first year of diagnosis.

Dr. Chan also said many cancer survivors expect the disease to come back, essentially instilling in them a sense of paranoia and overall fear. She then stressed for greater PTSD awareness and proper counseling at the initial stages of cancer.

“psychological well-being and mental health- and by extension, quality of life- are just as important as physical health” stated Dr. Chan.

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Swedish researchers found that dog owners have a lower chance of developing heart disease.

A new study from Sweden found that dog owners have a lower chance of developing heart disease. Researchers found that more than 3.4 million people who own a dog have better cardiovascular health than those who don’t. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

A group of scientists from the Uppsala University in Sweden went through national registry records of Swedish men and women between the ages of 40 and 80. They specifically focused on people who registered as dog owners and had no history of heart disease in 2001. The researchers then followed their health records throughout the years. Swedish people are required to register themselves if they own a dog and every visit to the hospital is recorded in a national database.

The results pointed to a lower risk of death due to health problems,  regardless if the people smoked or if they came from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

The reason as to why dog owners have an increased resistance to cardiovascular disease stems from their having an increased physical activity as an overall improved social life. Research also showed contact with dogs can change one’s bacterial microbiome. A microbiome is the collection of microscopic species which live in the gut. Dogs are thought to change home environments by bringing dirt into them, effectively exposing the owners to bacteria they may not have encountered otherwise.

Lead author of the study, Mwenya Mubanga, said that dogs are able to protect their owners from heart diseases as a result.

„…dog ownership was especially prominent as a protective factor in persons living alone, which is a group reported previously to be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death,” she said.

People who lived alone with a dog had a 33 percent reduced risk of death when compared to people living alone and without a dog

The findings echo another study conducted in 2013 by the American Heart Association.

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According to a recent study, only 39 percent of women who had a heart attack received CPR

According to a recent study, women are less likely to receive CPR from a bystander especially if that bystander is male. Researchers think the reason for this is due to a reluctance to touch a woman’s chest.

The study went through twenty thousand cases of cardiac arrest and extrapolated those where the females received CPR. The results showed 39 percent of women who suffered cardiac arrest in a public space were given CPR. This comes in contrast to men, which returned a 45 percent value.  Based on these results, men were 23 percent more likely to survive in such cases.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stop pumping and administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation can be the key to saving somebody’s life. More than a quarter of Americans suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital.

Why the cold feet?

Researchers have not found a specific correlation between helping women and cardiac arrest although evidence suggests most women are given CPR if the rescuer is familiar with the victim. They think the root cause is a fear of touching female strangers.

The research was discussed at the American Heart Association conference in Anaheim, California. University of Pennsylvania lead researcher on the paper, Audrey Blewer, noted the stressful situation of trying to make the woman feel comfortable given the situation.

“It can be kind of daunting thinking about pushing hard and fast on the center of a woman’s chest” Brewer noted.

She added that even CPR training mannequins have male designs that further divide one’s thinking.

Co-author Benjamin Abella thinks rescuers are afraid of touching women’s breasts or removing their clothes. He further stressed the gravity of the situation.

“This is not a time to be squeamish because it’s a life-and-death situation,” he said.

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Mushrooms are a valuable source of antioxidants, researchers say

A new research conducted by researchers from Pennsylvania State University shows that mushrooms are „without a doubt” an anti-aging gold mine.

Robert Beelman, professor Emeritus of food science and director of the Penn State Center for Plant and Mushroom Products for Health, spoke about the theory of food and aging. When we oxidize our food, a number of „free radicals” are released. Large quantities prove toxic to the human body. Free radicals are associated with aging diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Antioxidants, while still loosely defined, are indicative of fighting oxidative stress. Oxidative stress stems from those free radicals Beelman specified, which are oxygen atoms with unpaired electrons.

„The body has mechanisms to control most of them, including ergothioneine and glutathione” he states.

Published in the journal Food Chemistry the paper points to the mushroom’s high source of the ergothioneine and glutathione antioxidants which are thought to have anti-aging properties.

By testing 13 species of mushrooms, scientists found both compounds in large quantities. The lowest out of the bunch was the white button mushroom, however, compared to other non-mushrooms foods, it is still a worthy contender for keeping one young. The highest antioxidant levels were found in the wild porcini mushroom.

Foods that are cooked to extreme levels generally lose anti-oxidants yet mushrooms were found to be resistant to heat.

Beelman acknowledges the study is still in preliminary stages but he points to other countries as proof.

„You can see that countries that have more ergothioneine in their diets, countries like France and Italy also have lower incidences of neurodegenerative diseases”

He also notes that people living in the U.S. have lower amounts of ergothioneine in their diet. In turn, this increases their probability of developing Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The difference between the U.S. and the countries specified above is the number of antioxidants in their food. France and Italy have approximately 3 milligrams per day, the equivalent of about five button mushrooms.

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